Synopsis

"How You Are to Me" centers on a couple, a man living with Alzheimer's and his wife who is his 24-hr caregiver. The story is a single day in their lives, at the crucial time past the early stage of the disease, when a caregiver is at the point of feeling overwhelmed from what she can handle solely on her own. The story follows the difficulties of communication but also highlights the pure joy that can still be found even when someone is in a later stage of the disease. From the realities of day to day living with the disease to the use of arts and earlier life experiences to create connections, the story is the roller coaster that is the average day of someone living with Alzheimer's and for someone who is a caregiver. And yet, that is not all there is to this story, at the same time the film interweaves techniques, when utilized, that help people better connect and communicate with individuals with Alzheimer's. It is a love story and also a teaching tool. And to top that off, there is a third layer, a unique way the film presents the material so that the audience sees the relationship of the individuals and Alzheimer's as it is, without any potential ageism or biases a viewer may have towards the disease. The viewer will not watch this film as an outsider, but from the perspective of a loved one. How you are ... to me.